costa rica, next on the agenda

Hey all, a quick update on the last couple of days.

First, I am still on the CATIE campus, a small institute for higher education in CR. I am strongly thinking of doing a Masters program abroad due to the experiences on this trip and especially those on this campus. It is much easier to think about school when the classroom surrounds you every time you step outside. Not having to report to facebook is a nice change of pace as well. 

We went to visit a botanical garden and tried some pretty incredible fruits. Google miracle fruit, and then petition your senator to make it legal in the states. For real. it made a lime taste like sweet ass candy. We also got to try fresh pineapple…you probably haven’t had it in the states like they have it here, it is super sweet and white, not yellow. 

Anyways, i already mentioned the bird monitoring station from one of our first mornings here. We also have visited volcano Irazu, which had a pretty nifty lake in the middle of it. We had a huge day today. It was centered around coffee farms, and the damage and issues they have caused and currently are facing. We had a German guide today, Reinhold, and he talked for something like 4 hours to a pretty sleepy crew about coffee. Lots of interesting stuff (to me), but i wont bore you with it here. Then we went to a self sustaining farm, run by former residents of the US. They left the US because of their disgust at our spending habits and unhappiness with our incredible wealth, something that seems to be more apparent in this country in a way that I haven’t experienced in other parts of Latin America. 

Anyways, one picture is from the other morning, and the other is a coatimundi on the top of volcano irazu. later tumblr,

pura vida!

-anthony

I got selected to go East to CATIE, while the rest of our group chills in the cloud forests of Monteverde. It’s a really sweet institute, with a gorgeous lake surrounded by egrets. We aren’t allowed in the grass at night though, because of venomous snakes lurking around. Last night we watched Mexico pummel Costa Rica into a pulp! It was a nice surprise to find that I wasn’t the only Mexico fan on the campus.

Our first night here we had an amazing talk on biological corridors, and I think I fell in love with the idea of undoing damage that people have caused. I want to pursue this interest a bit further after I graduate.

This morning, we got to wake up around 5:30 to go to a field bird monitoring station, and we got to see them take some measurements on something like 4 hummingbirds and then put a band on an olive-headed yellow-throated warbler. Pretty sweet stuff, although completely outside my normally scheduled waking hours. Anyways, we have an hour or two of downtime until we have to get together to start hashing out our big group project. Just wanted to report that all is fine and I am still most certainly in love with biology, so Dad you can rest easy and know your investment in this trip was money well spent.

Sadly, no photo today, just too hot and tired to bother. 

Pura Vida-

Anthony

We have just arrived at Fortuna, at the base of Mt. Arenal. We went to the hanging bridges earlier today, saw a sloth (be excited Jullianne!), and are about to go get dinner.

In the last few days, I’ve learned so much. We talked to the father of Costa Rica conservation, Dan Janzen, and learned that fighting the government is not always the only way to enact change for conservation. It involves a large amount of give and take, on the conservationist’s part mostly. 

The coolest thing I have to report in the last few days is that I am leaning heavily towards conservation work in the future…since we are keeping a journal here, and we haven’t really unpacked, I won’t muddy up my reasons for this sudden change in interests by trying to recall them now.

Anyways, we are coming up on decision time. Our course is about to split into two groups for a week, one will return to Monteverde (the cloud forest), and the other will head east to the Caribbean and will spend time moving around the coast there. I am leaning heavily towards the east, although the decision is not entirely my own. But if I get to go, I will get to visit a village of indigenous people, the Bribri! Anyways, as always, time is short to be blogging about stuff when there are creatures and sunsets and the like to see. I hope everyone is doing well at home and abroad

Pura Vida!

-Anthony

Back in civilization! I am currently at Villa Lapas (lapas=macaw) resort near Tarcoles, Costa Rica. We left the Osa Peninsula yesterday, via boat.  While in Corcovado, I made the mistake of tripping and grabbing a spiny black palm. I had a ton of thorns stuck in my hand (still several embedded in it), with Moon claiming the biggest one at over 2 millimiters (he dug several out with some sewing needles). While there, I also decided to go to Grad School one day thanks to a talk at dinner with a guy from Western Michigan University. This basically means the trip has already served its purpose and I can just relax and enjoy the learning process! 

We’ve just eaten lunch after a “short” hike (2 hours) at Carara National Park, and now some downtime and my first picture for the trip. Lots of soreness, bug bites, but also lots of awesome learning and animal sightings. To recap, we have traveled from San Jose, to Sierpe, to Corcovado National Park, and then back up the Pacific coast to Tarcoles. The crew is about to head to Jaco, the tourist (and crime) capital of Costa Rica. I am having a blast. Hopefully I can continue to update with pictures

This picture is from our first day, when we took the Panamerican highway on the way from San Jose to Sierpe. We stopped for lunch at La Georgina, a restaurant known for its hummingbird feeders and easy sightings of several species. This is a fiery-throated hummingbird.

Anyways, much love to everyone back at home!

Pura Vida!

-Anthony